In the wake of a global pandemic, we ask ‘is occupational health and safety still measured by equal parts “health” to equal parts “safety” or is it health taking on a leadership role’? 

This session will explore global experiences such as climate change, ageing populations, and state-mandated lockdowns, which have propelled conversations about workplace health into the mainstream. Since the 2020 COVID-19 virus, health protection has become a weekly news headline and perhaps, due to its prominence in the media, it has quickly advanced workplace protection-based conversations to ones based on prevention - faster than any other topic in our community. From the economic burden of work-related illness to the practical disruption in productivity, there are clear moral and bottom-line arguments being made for the importance of worker health programs and the business world has been listening. 

Join us for a panel of researchers, business leaders and regulators who will discuss the recent pivot to address the ‘health gap’ in workers protection. From corporate wellbeing programs to greater national social security measures, this session will assess how we can collectively respond to the changing world of work.